The Panda: A Miraculous Story
by Amberly Nightengale
Summary: In an alternate ending to Queen Wasp, Marinette goes to New York for a brief visit. While there, she meets Ashley Benoit, the holder of the "Forgotten" Panda Miraculous. UPDATE: Unfortunately, this series has been discontinued on this site. You can find the continued story on . I apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused you.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Marinette I never thought New York would be so big.  
The buildings were all looming half an Eiffel Tower above my head. The streets were wide and jam-packed full of people. Bright yellow cars whirred by, horns honking deafeningly.  
I had to admit, I was a little disappointed. I had been hoping for some big, beautiful city, with bright lights and supermodels walking down the street with adoring crowds panting after them. Instead, it was… loud, more than anything.  
Audrey Bourgeois strutted out of the plane. "Well, Marinette?" she said.  
"It's very, um…." I paused, unsure of how to continue.  
"It's the home of the glamorous, of course, but must they make so much noise?" Madam Bourgeois sighed. "It's hard enough to concentrate on my work surrounded by incompetent workers." She waved her hand at the flight attendant. "By the way, dear, that tacky outfit? You're fired!"  
She turned back to me. "Come on, then, Marinette, what are you waiting for? My private chauffeur is waiting downstairs." She marched away, and I meekly followed.  
_

The room was nice, I supposed. Much larger than my room back home, and people waiting to cater to my every need just outside.  
But it didn't have everything.  
I stared sadly out the window. I wished Tikki were here. I could hear her little voice in my head: "Why would you want to work for Chloe's mother? She'd fire you in three days at the most!" To which I would reply, "Yeah, but at least I'd be able to say I worked for a famous designer! At least for a little while."  
But Tikki wasn't here. She'd had to stay in Paris, to protect the city from Hawk Moth. I'd secretly given her and the earrings to Alya, so she'd be able to act as Ladybug while I was gone.  
I sighed. I missed Alya too. And Nino, and Rose, and Juleka, and even the thought of Chloe made me a tiny bit homesick. But most of all, I missed Adrien.  
I gloomily thought of Adrien now as I continued staring off into space. I'd really hoped we'd be able to see the Statue of Liberty at some point (we'd been studying the French-American alliance in history, during which I had a perfect view of Adrien from behind, sigh), but now it was pretty clear that wouldn't be happening.  
Suddenly, a sound that was definitely not a car horn pierced the air, reaching through the glass to touch my ears. Instantly alert, I quickly scanned the street below for the source.  
A woman was standing on the curb, pointing up at a construction site across the street in horror. A large load of heavy metal bars, suspended high above the ground by an enormous crane, was dangling precariously by a single set of straps on one end above a street full of people. Most of them rann, but some were too busy chatting on their phones or gawking in terror to move.  
I stepped away from the window. Time to transform. "Tikki, spots-"  
I stopped. Right. Tikki wasn't here.  
But I couldn't just stay here and do nothing. Earrings or no earrings, I was Ladybug!  
Multiple people screamed as one of the straps snapped. The bars swung threateningly above the civilians, and I made up my mind.  
I threw open the door and barreled down the stairs. Reaching the ground floor, I tore across the lobby and burst out onto the street just as the last strap broke and the bars came plummeting to the ground. I threw myself forward to push the people underneath out of the way, even though I knew I would never make it.  
Clang.  
A black-and-white boomerang crashed into the bars, sending them flying into the empty construction site with impossible force. The bars landed in the overturned dirt, sending up a huge cloud of dust and breaking a number of boards but leaving everyone unharmed. As I watched, the boomerang flew up to the top of a building at the nearby street corner and into the hand of a strangely-dressed girl. She wore a black-and-white, tight, one piece suit that covered her entire body from her neck down, round black ears that stuck up off the top of her head, and a black-and-white mask. Her dark brown hair was pulled into a ponytail at the base of her neck, and there was a long bamboo rod strapped to her back.  
"It's Kylina!" someone shouted. The observers cheered and gathered around the base of the building the girl was standing on. She smiled and waved, but quickly hopped down off the opposite side of the roof.  
I frowned. That costume, though I'd never seen it before, was strangely familiar. It was almost as if…  
My fists clenched as I realized the truth. It was almost as if the costume had come from a Miraculous.  
Before anyone could notice, I darted around the corner and back the way the girl had gone.  
I spotted her making her way down a secluded street using overly-complicated parkour moves. I followed her from a distance until she ducked into a nearby alley.  
"Paws down," I heard a voice say as I drew nearer.  
A flash of white light came from the opening of the alley. When it faded, I took a hesitant peek inside.  
It was her, alright. Not only did she have the same dark hair and body type, but the kwami was a dead giveaway.  
"You know the Miraculous is only supposed to be used in emergencies, Ash," the kwami said.  
"It was an emergency," the girl said. "People would have died."  
"You're supposed to stay undercover," the kwami pressed.  
"What's the point of me having this, then?" the girl demanded, holding up her wrist to show the kwami something I couldn't see. "I can't let people die on my watch ever again."  
The kwami sighed. "You're going to get in big trouble one of these days."  
"I don't care," said the girl. "I refuse to let-"  
Finally, I just couldn't stand it. "Who are you?" I said, stepping into the alley.  
The girl whipped around as the kwami zipped into her pocket. She had olive-toned skin, and her dark brown eyes were wide with shock. Then, after looking me over a minute, she smiled. "You're like me."  
"What is that supposed to mean?" I demanded. "Who are you? How did you get a Miraculous? Wait-" I paused, realizing something. "Did you just speak French?"  
"Easiest questions first," the girl said. "My name's Ashley Benoit. And yes, I do know French. My parents are immigrants from Paris. Which is also where you're from, I can tell."  
"How do you know that?" I said. "How did you get a Miraculous? And what do you mean, I'm like you? Where did you find out how to use that? What-?"  
"Slow down, Marinette," said the girl named Ashley. "I promise I'll explain everything, but you have to breathe first."  
"How do you know my name?" I gasped.  
The girl closed her eyes and said something like "Klatznik" under her breath. From her pocket, a tiny voice grumbled, "Nice going, Ash."  
"Zip it, Mistry," Ashley snapped at her pocket before turning back to me. "I know you're curious, and probably more than a little confused, but I have some questions of my own. Why do you have a Miraculous? Or- why did you? Why don't you have it now?"  
"It had to stay in Paris," I answered, puzzled. "How did you know-?"  
"Shh," Ashley shushed me. "I'll answer all of your questions if you'll answer all of mine. Deal?"  
I blinked. "Oo...kay?"  
"Good." Ashley turned toward the other end of the alley. "Now follow me. There's something I'd like to show you." 


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Ashley I dropped down into the alley. It seemed lonesome enough for my needs. "Paws down."  
Mistry appeared in my hands. "You know the Miraculous is only to be used in emergencies, Ash," she said.  
"It was an emergency," I insisted. I couldn't believe we were having this conversation again. "People would have died."  
"You're supposed to stay undercover," Mistry pushed.  
"What's the point of me having this, then?" I demanded, holding up my bracelet. "I can't let people die on my watch ever again." I closed my eyes, pushing the memories of last time away.  
Mistry sighed. "You're going to get in big trouble one of these days."  
"I don't care," I said, opening my eyes. "I refuse to let-"  
"Who are you?"  
I whirled around to see a strangely familiar black-haired girl staring at me from the mouth of the alleyway. My bracelet burned, and I remembered. I smiled. "You're like me."  
"What is that supposed to mean?" demanded the girl, whose name was Marinette, as I recalled from my dreams. "Who are you? How did you get a Miraculous? Wait-" She stopped, confused. "Did you just speak French?"  
"Easiest questions first," I decided. "My name's Ashley Benoit. And yes, I do know French. My parents are immigrants from Paris. Which is also where you're from, I can tell."  
"How did you know that?" Marinette said, gaping at me. "How did you get a Miraculous? And what do you mean, I'm like you? Where did you find out how to use that? What-?"  
"Slow down, Marinette," I said. "I promise I'll explain everything, but you have to breathe first."  
"How do you know my name?" Marinette gasped.  
"Klatznik," I muttered, realizing my mistake. From my pocket Mistry grumbled, "Nice going, Ash."  
"Zip it, Mistry," I snapped at her, then looked back at Marinette. "I know you're curious, and probably more than a little confused, but I have some questions of my own. Why do you have a Miraculous? Or- why did you? Why don't you have it now?"  
"It had to stay in Paris," Marinette answered, visibly bewildered. "How did you know-?"  
"Shh," I hushed her. "I'll answer all of your questions if you'll answer all of mine. Deal?"  
Marinette blinked. "Oo...kay?"  
"Good." I turned around, though my gaze stayed fixed on her. "Now follow me. There's something I'd like to show you." I turned my head and ran off in the direction of home. As I predicted, Marinette followed.  
As I ran, Mistry flew out of my pocket and onto my shoulder. "Are you sure this is such a good idea?" she asked.  
"Of course I do," I replied. "You sensed it too, didn't you?"  
"Yeah," Mistry admitted, "but still, why doesn't she have it now?"  
"Didn't you hear her? It had to stay in Paris." I narrowed my eyes at her. "Which means there's a threat there that you neglected to tell me about."  
Mistry turned away sheepishly.  
I stopped just behind the giant brick wall. "Here we are."  
Marinette appeared beside me, breathing heavily. "Um… where is here?"  
I smiled. "My lair." I snapped my fingers, and with a jolt, the floor began to sink.  
Marinette promptly fell down. "Woah!"  
"Don't try to get up," I advised. "Probably easier."  
Marinette looked up at the fake cement closing above our heads. "You must have money to spare."  
I shrugged. "Just a lot of free time. Besides, you're forgetting something- I have magic."  
Marinette gawked at me. "Your Miraculous allowed you to do this?"  
"Among other things," I replied. "Every good hero's got to have a lair, even if it isn't as over the top as this."  
The "elevator" stopped in front of a set of double doors. As I approached them, Marinette stood. "What is this place?" she wondered.  
I smiled. "This," I said with a wink, "is where the magic happens." And with that, I pushed the doors open.  
"Woah," Marinette gasped taking in the scene.  
It certainly was impressive. The training room was huge, which of course it needed to be, considering what I was training for. Cut off from the arena was my "office," where I did all my research and such. As it turned out, the research was useless. The answers had simply come to me.  
"Have a seat," I said to Marinette, gesturing to one of the comfy chairs I'd gotten for this exact purpose, though I'd doubted this would ever happen at the time. Marinette sat down, looking flustered.  
"Anything you want, just ask," I said to her, opening one of my desk drawers to show her my stash of candy and soda. "I came prepared."  
Marinette nodded distractedly. "I've never heard of a Miraculous that could do all this," she said, observing the white crystal arena walls.  
She was edging pretty close to the dangerous truth, so I carefully veered her off. "Mistry is… special. I'm sure you've realized that."  
Marinette nodded. "Why isn't she in the Miracle Box with the others?"  
My eyes widened. "You know the location of the Miracle Box? Where is it?"  
Marinette frowned. "You seem awfully eager to know."  
"Of course I am!" I exclaimed. "I've always known the other Miraculouses must be out there somewhere!"  
Marinette seemed taken aback. "Well, it's in Paris, with my Miraculous. About that, how did you know-?"  
"Yeah, likeI said, Mistry's special," I said. "It's a long story.  
"Mistry resides in what I call a 'Forgotten' Miraculous. This-" I held up my wrist so Marinette could see the yin-and-yang charm on my bracelet "-is her home. It represents balance."  
"That symbol's in the Miracle Box," Marinette noticed. "It's between the places for the Ladybug and Black Cat."  
I nodded. "Creation and destruction. Together, they make balance." I fingered the charm. "I guess they forgot about Mistry because they assumed balance was just there.  
"Anyway, the "Guardians of the Miraculous forgot about Mistry, somehow. They thought the Miraculous of the Ladybug was the most powerful, when really, it was the Panda all along.  
"Mistry gives me a lot of abilities. One of them, as you've already seen, is the power to sense whether a person possesses a Miraculous- whether they've ever possessed a Miraculous. That's how I knew you were Ladybug."  
Marinette squirmed in her seat. "You won't tell anyone, will you?"  
I laughed. "Of course not! I'm a superhero too, you know."  
Marinette looked a little reassured. "So, Master Fu doesn't know you have that?" She gestured at my bracelet.  
My face hardened. "No. and he must never find out," I said. "It's too dangerous. If the power of balance itself fell into the wrong hands…" I drifted off, the meaning of my words hanging in the air. "Speaking of which, what's going on in Paris? Why are the Miraculouses being used?"  
Marinette swallowed. "Well… Master Fu told me that many years ago, he… lost two Miraculouses."  
My eyes popped, and I whipped around to glare at Mistry. "That would have been nice to know!"  
Mistry shrank under my gaze. I rarely became angry with her, but when I did, it was well-deserved.  
I stared pointedly at her for a moment longer, then turned back to Marinette. "Go on."  
"Well, the two he lost were the Butterfly and the Peacock," Marinette continued, though she seemed a little more disconcerted now, "and now someone named Hawk Moth is using the power of the Butterfly Miraculous to create supervillains to try and get their hands on the Miraculouses of the Ladybug and Black Cat."  
I cursed under my breath. "That's not good. How long have you been fighting him?"  
"Almost a year," Marinette replied, "but we're no closer to defeating him."  
I leaned forward. "You have to make sure he never finds out about the Panda Miraculous's existence, understand? It'd throw balance completely over the edge."  
"Of course," Marinette said.  
"Good." I checked my watch and groaned. "Crud. my parents will be expecting me to be home in about ten minutes. I gotta split."  
"I should go, too," Marinette said. "Madame Bourgeois will be furious if I'm not where I'm supposed to be."  
I smiled. "Good luck with Hawk Moth, Marinette." I held out my hand.  
Marinette gave me a shy smile in return and shook my hand. "Thanks. I'm going to need it."  
_

After Marinette left, I turned to Mistry. "Why didn't you tell me?"  
Mistry looked down at the desktop. "I didn't know how…."  
"The same way you told me everything else," I said. "I would have listened."  
"That's not what I meant," Mistry said, looking me in the eye. "I didn't know how to talk you out of it."  
"Talk me out of what?"  
"Don't pretend," Mistry moaned. "Ashley, you can't go to France!"  
"Why not?" I demanded. "Mistry, balance is at stake here! I can't just stand idly by and hope for the best!"  
"But how are you going to get to Paris?"  
I looked at a poster on the wall that read Sign up for the Foreign-Exchange Program! "I just might have an idea." 


	3. Chapter 3

One Month Later

Chapter 3: Ashley

The plane was landing at last. I was extremely eager to get off and start what I was sure would be the adventure of a lifetime.

It had been pretty easy to convince my teachers to send me to France, what with my parents' background there and the fact that I was already fluent in French. The real challenge had been making sure that I was sent to Paris specifically. Luckily, magic did have its uses.

I had been able to prepare for my arrival in Paris, for Marinette's reaction at my appearance, for the search for the Black Cat Miraculous. What I had not been able to prepare for, however, was Caleb.

Caleb had been my best friend from the time I was nine years old up until I'd moved to New York a year ago. He was eight months older than me, with dirty blond hair and blue eyes, and he had an infectious smile. We had met when his older sister, Abbie, had performed in a local theater production with my foster brothers. We had been best friends ever since, doing both school and local plays together for years, along with being in the same D&D group, doing Debate Club together, and just hanging out. We knew everything about each other. Well, almost. I had refrained from telling him I'd fallen in love with him when I was ten.

I was shocked when we arrived at the airport yesterday afternoon. "Caleb?" I'd gasped when I'd seen him.

Caleb turned around. His face broke into a wide grin. "Ash!" He attacked me with a bear hug.

"Oh my gosh, Caleb!" I'd laughed, hugging him back. "I can't believe this!" Pulling away, I looked him over. "You haven't changed much. I mean, you've changed, but- it's still you."

"Same with you," he'd replied. "Man, I never would have expected you to be here!"

"Neither did I," I'd said, grinning like a maniac. "But I'm so glad you're here!"

Technically, this was only half-true. I was happy to see him- and why wouldn't I be, considering that we'd been friends for five years and that I was still in love with him? But I was also scared for him. He didn't know about my Miraculous, or the ones in Paris. He was in danger, and I couldn't let him get hurt.

We'd talked a lot during the flight, catching up and that sort of thing. He'd fallen asleep hours ago, as had I, but I'd woken up first.

Now, we were here. Now, I would be able to help in the fight against Hawk Moth.

"Good morning, class!" Miss Bustier said cheerfully an hour later.

"Good morning, Miss Bustier," the class chorused back.

"Now, before we begin, I'd like to introduce our new students!" Miss Bustier gestured to me, Caleb, and the Brazilian boy on my left. "Would you please tell us your name, where you're from, and something interesting about yourself?"

Caleb and the Brazilian kid stared at her blankly, but I nodded. I turned to the Brazilian kid and translated Miss Bustier's request into Portuguese.

"My… name… is… Pedro," he said in botched French a minute later, trying his best to repeat the words I whispered in his ear. "I… am… from… Brazil. I… like… to… be… architect."

The class nodded in interest. Except one person. As I'd predicted, Marinette looked pretty concerned about my arrival.

"What does she want?" Caleb said in a loud whisper as the focus shifted to him.

"She wants to know your name, where you're from, and something interesting about you," I whispered back.

"I don't have an interesting life."

Someone snickered. I glanced up to see that the culprit was a cute blond boy with green eyes. I recognized his face from advertisements all over the city.

My bracelet burned. I'd found the feline.

I pretended nothing had happened. "Just tell me what you want to say and I'll translate."

Caleb rolled his eyes at me, smiling, then turned to the class. "My name's Caleb, and I'm from Colorado. I like to act and I don't speak French."

Most of the class smiled. Apparently, this was the one English phrase Parisian parents taught their children.

"My name's Ashley Benoit," I said in flawless French. "I was born and raised in Denver, Colorado, but I've lived in New York for the past year. My parents are Parisian immigrants, so that's cool, I guess."

Most of the class looked impressed, except for Marinette (who still looked worried) and a blond girl and her redheaded lackey.

"Well, that's certainly very interesting!" Miss Bustier said. "Welcome to our class, Ashley, Caleb, Pedro. There's seats for you in the back there."

"You told them you're technically a native, didn't you?" Caleb muttered as we went to our seats.

"Just getting it out of the way," I said smoothly.

Marinette opened her mouth as I passed her, but I quickly mouthed, "Later."

Caleb sat down next to me, while I sat in the aisle across from Pedro so I could translate for both of them. "Open your books to page 37," Miss Bustier said.

Something bumped against my foot. Glancing down, I spotted a tiny black creature I instantly recognized as a kwami.

After checking to make sure no one was looking, I discreetly dropped my pencil on the ground. As I bent down to pick it up, I also grabbed the kwami, who let out a tiny yelp.

"You're Plagg, aren't you?" I whispered.

"How'd you-?"

"You're going to get yourself caught," I hissed through my teeth. "You need to be more careful."

Plagg shivered. "You-"

"Mistry's in my bag if you want to talk to her," I said softly. "But be quick."

As I carefully slid Plagg into my bag so he could meet with Mistry, I caught the blond boy from the ads glaring at me. No doubt he thought I was stealing his kwami. He had reason to be skeptical, I supposed, as I turned back to Miss Bustier.

"Now, who can tell me the reason for Napoleon's downfall?" 


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Adrien

The new students were interesting enough, I supposed. I was most interested in the girl, Ashley Benoit. The name sounded familiar…. Perhaps I'd heard of a relative?

As the foreign exchange kids made their way back to their seats, I felt a small tug on my shoelace. I looked down to see Plagg looking up at me with an urgent expression. "I'm gonna check out that girl's bracelet," he whispered.

"Plagg, no!" I hissed. "Just because it's shiny-"

"I don't want it because it's shiny," he protested. "I _know_ that bracelet."

"Don't you dare-" I started, but it was too late. He had already zipped across the aisle and was making his way back to the girl's desk. As I watched with increasing horror, Plagg bumped into the girl, who bent down, scooped him up, looked him over, and slipped him into her school bag. She looked up and caught my eye for a split second before I turned back around to face Miss Bustier.

One thing was for certain- I _definitely_ did not trust that girl.

I was distracted all throughout the rest of class, wondering how I was supposed to get Plagg back, and almost didn't notice when the bell rang.

I picked up my bag and left the classroom with Nino, then suddenly had an idea. "You go on ahead," I said. "I think I forgot something."

Nino nodded and walked off in the direction of our next class. I waited until he was out of sight, then turned around to re enter the classroom, but didn't get far before I crashed into somebody, making me drop my bag.

It was Ashley. "Oh, I'm so sorry!" she said hastily. "I guess I'm a little distracted. Sorry. Oh, here, let me get that." She picked up my bag and handed it to me, smiling sheepishly.

"Thanks," I said warily, taking the bag and quickly peeking inside. To my surprise, Plagg was there, breaking into a fresh camembert container.

Something didn't seem right. Why would Ashley have taken Plagg, only to return him half an hour later? Even more disturbing, how had she known to return him to me?

Maybe I was overthinking this. Maybe Plagg had just slipped away without her noticing. That must have been it.

"Sorry," Ashley said again. "Um, would you happen to know where the Physics classroom is?"

"Uh, yeah," I replied. "I'm actually headed there now."

"Great. Um, would you mind…?" She trailed off.

"No, yeah, totally," I said quickly. "It's just this way."

She followed me through the hall quietly. After a minute, she said, "It's Adrien, right?"

"How'd you know?"

She jerked her thumb toward the window, out of which a huge billboard sporting an "Adrien: The Fragrance" advertisement was clearly visible.

"Oh, yeah." I laughed nervously. "You saw that?"

She rolled her eyes. "How could I not? Your face is plastered literally all over Paris."

"I guess that's true."

She laughed. "Don't worry. You're completely absent in New York."

I exhaled deeply. "Great. The last thing I needed was for the foreign-exchange students to go crazy at being in class with the amazing Adrien Agreste." I shook my hands sarcastically.

Ashley stopped. "Wait. You're Adrien _Agreste_?"

Shoot. "Yeah."

But she didn't go the direction I expected. "Your mother wouldn't happen to be Emilie Laurent, would she?"

The thought of my mother sent a pang through my chest, but I was curious to know how Ashley knew about my mom. "Yeah. Why?"

"No way!" she exclaimed, looking excited. "Your mom was my mom's best friend!"

I blinked. "Really?"

"Yes!" she said. "My mom talks about Emilie _all the time_. Did your mom ever mention Adalene Pontbriand?"

I thought about it. "I think she did, actually."

Ashley laughed. "This is crazy! I should have guessed you would be in my class. Mom did say you would be in my grade." She grinned. "She's gonna go nuts. How is your mom, by the way?"

Again I felt that pang. "She disappeared last year."

"Oh." Ashley's face grew solemn. "I didn't know."

"It's fine," I said. "It's not your fault."

Ashley nodded.

We walked in silence for a bit. Then Ashley spoke up, "I had a foster brother who died three years ago."

"Then you know how it feels?"

"Yep."

Silence. Where once I had distrusted Ashley, now I felt some kind of bond with her. Something only the shared pain of losing a loved one can forge. And I knew that no matter what, there would always be this bringing us together.

"Would you maybe want to sit with me and my friends at lunch?" I asked.

Ashley smiled. "I'd like that."

We kept a conversation going until the bell rang, when Ashley excused herself to sit with Caleb to translate.

"It was nice meeting you, Adrien," she said. "If our parents were any indication, I expect we'll become pretty good friends in the future."

I couldn't help but agree.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Ashley

I let out a low sigh of relief. Mission accomplished.

It just wouldn't do for Adrien not to trust me, even if he had good reason not to. I mean, he _was_ Cat Noir, (I'd looked up their superhero names after meeting Marinette), and I _did_ want him to know about Mistry eventually.

I was pretty sure I'd thrown him off the trail for now, though. He couldn't be made aware of my secret identity too soon. He'd never guess that I'd purposefully bumped into him so I could return Plagg. After all, how could I possibly know he belonged to Adrien?

I was glad that he'd started to warm up to me. He was a nice kid, really smart, and, okay, he kind of reminded me of Caleb. Not to mention, Mom would absolutely flip when she found out that I shared classes with both the Agreste's and the Dupain's kids.

I hadn't realized Emilie was dead, though. Mom would be devastated.

At lunch, I met Adrien and his friends with Caleb and Pedro (it had seemed wrong to just leave Pedro to fend for himself).

"Ashley!" Adrien called to me from a table off to the left. As we approached, Adrien said to his friends, "You guys were all there when they introduced Ashley, Caleb, and Pedro." Adrien's friends nodded. Except one.

"Guys, I'd like you to meet my friends. This is Nino" -Adrien pointed to a boy with dark skin and a red baseball cap- "that's Alya'' -a tanned girl with glasses and red-brown hair smiled- "and Marinette."

Marinette made an effort to smile for Caleb and Pedro's benefit, but I could tell that it was killing her to not demand what I was doing here. I pretended not to notice and sat across from her, next to Adrien. Caleb plunked his tray down next to me.

"So you're an American citizen, but your parents are originally from Paris?" Alya said.

I smiled, not acknowledging that my bracelet was burning. "You pay attention."

"Now _that's_ a scoop." Alya pulled out her phone. "I've _got_ to post an article about the foreign-exchange students on the school blog."

"You're a journalist?" I noticed.

Alya grinned. "It's my true calling." She tapped on the screen a few times, then turned it around to show me. "_This_ is my life's work."

It was a blog entirely dedicated to Ladybug. My eyes widened when I saw the main article- _"Ladybug: Discovering the Girl Behind the Mask."_

"Do you actually know Ladybug's true identity?" I asked with a discreet glance at Marinette.

Alya sighed. "No, it's just theories. But maybe one day I'll find out."

I smiled. "Good luck with that."

Adrien nudged my shoulder. "That's not even the coolest thing about her," he said. "Tell them what you told me, Ashley."

"Oh," I said, a little surprised. "Um, well, I sing a little."

"_A little?_" Caleb repeated incredulously (contrary to the claim he'd made earlier, he did speak a little French). "You're incredible! Sing something for them."

"Oh, I don't know-" I said quickly, but the others at the table chimed in, "Yeah, show us, Ashley." "Come on, please?"

I rolled my eyes and poked Caleb in the ribs. "All right, Mr. Bigmouth," I said. "Just for that, we'll be doing a duet."

"What'll it be, Your Majesty?" Caleb said with a mock bow.

"Not _now_," I said. "Some other time."

"Aww."

The others moved on relatively quickly. As Adrien started a conversation with Nino and Alya about some online game, I glanced at Marinette, who gave me a questioning look. I shook my head, and Marinette replied with a bunch of wild hand gestures.

"Are you okay, Marinette?"

Adrien was looking at Marinette curiously, as were Alya, Nino, and Caleb. (Pedro was somewhat absorbed in his food.)

Marinette jumped and laughed nervously. "Yeah, yeah, I'm fine!" she said hastily. "I just, uh-" She made a loud hacking sound. "Just got a carrot stuck in my throat. But I'm good."

Adrien smiled in understanding and went back to his discussion. I shot a sly look at Marinette, who was gazing dreamily at Adrien's back.

Oh, this was just too perfect.

I stood up. "Excuse me, I need to use the bathroom. Could one of you show me where it is?" I glanced pointedly at Marinette.

She understood. "Oh, yeah, of course! It's right over here."

We walked in silence until we shut the door to the bathroom, which was mercifully empty. Then Marinette exploded.

"What are you doing here?" she demanded.

"After what you told me, I had to come," I said.

"What's going on? Is something wrong?"

"Not yet," I said, shaking my head. "But I just had to be here to make sure. Besides, if I can talk to that Guardian you told me about-"

"You said he couldn't know!"

"Not until I was ready," I corrected her. "And I'm ready now. I have to tell him, he needs to know about the Jaguar and the Frog-"

"The what?"

"The Panda's not the only Forgotten Miraculous," I said simply.

"What?" Marinette exclaimed, gaping at me. "There are other Forgotten Miraculouses and you didn't think to tell me?"

"Now I know how Mistry felt," I muttered. "It wasn't important at the time, okay? Look, did you get the earrings back?"

"Of course I did!" Marinette said. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"I had to be sure," I said. My face spread into a grin. "Now start talking. Do you have a crush on Adrien?"

Marinette deflated. "Is it really that obvious?"

"Just to me," I said, my mind racing. This was perfect! My research had told me that Cat Noir had a _huge_ crush on Ladybug, and if Marinette liked Adrien, who _was_ Cat Noir…

My elation faded. They didn't know each other's true identities.

This was going to be torture.


End file.
